The invention relates to a vehicle roof provided with an opening that is closable by a cover panel and a frame of substantially U-shaped cross section extending along the edge of the roof opening. One side of the U-shaped frame is higher than the other side thereof and the higher side extends, in the form of a flange outside of the vehicle, in a direction substantially perpendicular to said higher side so as to cover the edge of the surface of the vehicle roof adjacent to the opening. A clamping arrangement is mounted inside the vehicle to press the flange against the surface of the vehicle top.
A vehicle top of this type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,576. In this known vehicle top, the clamping arrangement connected to the top surface consists of a bar which penetrates an undercut groove of the frame and is provided with threaded holes. Screws placed in the threaded holes clamp the surface of the vehicle top between the flange and a sheet metal strip (see especially FIG. 10 of the U.S. patent). In the assembly operation, the frame is introduced from outside the vehicle into the prepared top opening. However, the clamping arrangement consisting of the bar, the screws, and the sheet metal strip must be removed for this purpose. It is only when the frame has been inserted that the fastening bar can be introduced into the undercut groove and the retaining screws can be tightened. For this reason, the assembly is time consuming and, therefore, expensive.
It is disclosed also in said U.S. patent that the frame is welded to the top surface (column 2, line 38). This joining method is complicated and costly.
An assembly ring for an openable automobile top, preferably a sliding top, is known from published European patent application No. 0,014,798. The assembly ring, provided with a flange covering the edge of the top surface, is connected to the top surface through the provision of holes bored therein and bolts of the flange determine the necessary application of pressure by the flange against the top surface when the nuts have been tightened. This type of assembly also requires a long time since holes must be drilled and the individual nuts must be tightened on said bolts.
In a vehicle roof provided with an opening closable by a cover, as described in German Application (Auslegeschrift) No. 2,615,276, the front edge of a cover is attached to the roof frame by a separable hinged connection along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and the rear edge of the cover is pivotable upward and outward out of the plane of the roof by an extending arrangement which is separable from the cover. This vehicle roof also comprises a surrounding frame of U-shaped cross section. The frame is welded from the inside to the fixed top surface. The welding must be completed before the painting operation because, otherwise, the vehicle paint would be damaged. Therefore, this known construction cannot be mounted on a used vehicle. Furthermore, the welding operation complicates and increases the cost of the installation.
The same consideration applies to the liftable roof panel known from German Pat. No. 2,331,329, wherein the only difference lies in the structure of the extending mechanism.
Thus, a principal object of the present invention is to develop a vehicle provided with a roof opening of the above-cited type, in which the installation, including installation on a used vehicle, is conducted with a minimum of operations.
This object is achieved, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, by a clamping arrangement formed of a plurality of retaining plates which are pressed against the surface of the vehicle roof by screws. When the screws have been loosened, the plates can be pivoted about a longitudinal axis, so that the surrounding frame can be introduced into the top opening from the outside of the vehicle.
In the practice of the present invention, a vehicle roof, provided with a closable opening, can be fabricated prior to installation. To the extent possible, the screws used to fasten the retaining plates are backed out of their threaded holes, so that the retaining plates can be pivoted about their longitudinal axis. When the frame is introduced into the cut-out roof opening, the retaining plates come into contact with the edge of the roof surface and are pressed inward thereby. It is only when the frame is completely seated in the opening in the top surface that the retaining plates drop outward by gravity. If the screws designed to fasten the retaining plates are then tightened, the plates are pressed from the inside of the vehicle against the roof. Therefore, the flange of the frame is pressed on the outside against the surface of the vehicle roof to provide for a sealed fit of the frame on the roof surface. Existing roof reinforcements constitute no obstacle, but can be utilized as abutments for the retaining plates, conceivably after said reinforcements have been flattened.
The invention can be applied in combination with vehicle roofs of all types when they are provided with an opening that is closable by a cover. These covers may be removable cover panels or liftable cover panels of any type. For example, the cover can be pivoted by two hinges on the front edge of the top opening. In another example, the cover front and rear edges can be extended outward by two telescopic jacks. When the cover is pivotable about its front edge, for example, a linkage similar to that disclosed in the above-cited German Application No. 2,615,276 can be used.
According to one especially advantageous feature of the invention, the retaining plates present a V-shaped cross section, the angle between the two sides of the V being obtuse, and openings, for example, circular or oblong holes, are provided on one of the two sides of the plates. The length of the retaining plates can be determined so that one or more plates are provided along one edge of the top opening. The V-shaped structure of the retaining plates is especially suited to rapid installation. When slots are provided in one side of the V-shaped retaining plates, said plates can be fixed by screws. Because of the elongated shape of the screw holes, the retaining plates are easily pivoted on introduction into the opening in the vehicle roof after the fastening screws have been inserted.
According to another especially advantageous feature of the invention, in the corner between the upper side of the U-shaped member and the flange, the frame has a block provided with a recess whose side walls are perpendicular to the surface of the flange. This recess is especially designed to receive the retaining-plate fastening screws. The screws may cut their own thread in the recess, or incomplete threads may be present in the recess. The block is used also as abutment for one edge of the retaining plate as said plate is being secured by the screws.
According to yet a further advantageous feature, the frame is provided with a groove containing a seal on the side of the flange, which extends over the roof surface. This seal provides for an especially tight sealing of the frame on the roof surface.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.